Taphonomy and Burials

Listener discretion advised!! This episode describes graphic descriptions of human decomposition that may be distressing or inappropriate for some listeners.

Greetings witches! This episode Av Lauren Lindsay digs into taphonomy and burials, including the intricacies of flesh and bone decomposition.

After developing a baseline for our understanding of typical burials, Av discusses some atypical burials including mummies from Scotland and bog bodies from Sweden. Emily pipes in and touches on the odd process of saponification, which causes a person to turn into soap! ?

Stay Spooky Friends :)

Check us out on social media at @thecasketcoven for podcast updates.

Artwork by Maddy Martin (insta: @maddy.martin) and Jessica Elkins.

Sound Edited and Mixed by Av Lauren Lindsay

CC0 Content Music Used: "Under Her Spell" by Melody Ayres-Griffiths

Research by Av Lauren Lindsay and Emily Curtin.

References:

Behrensmeyer, A. K. (2021). Taphonomy. Encyclopedia of Geology (Second Edition).

Bell, L.S., Skinner, M.F. and Jones, S.J. (1996) The speed of post mortem change to the human skeleton and its taphonomic significance. Forensic Science International 82 (2), 129–140.

Booth, T.J., Chamberlain, A.T. and Pearson, M.P. (2015) Mummification in Bronze Age Britain. Antiquity 89 (347), 1155–1173.

Carey, J. (2021) Bogged Down: Human Preservation and Decomposition. Using Forensic Scoring Methods to Assess Three Bog Bodies from Denmark, England & Ireland. Master’s Dissertation, University of Lund, Sweden; 1–136.

Clarkey, A. (2012, March 23). Haraldskær Woman. Atlas Obscura.

Frei, K.M., Mannering, U., Price, T.D. and Iversen, R.B. (2015) Strontium isotope investigations of the Haraldskær Woman – a complex record of various tissues. ArchéoSciences 39, 93–101.

Lyman, R. L. (2010). What taphonomy is, what it isn’t, and why taphonomists should care about the

difference. Journal of Taphonomy, 8(1), 1-16.

Pearson, M.P., Chamberlain, A., Craig, O., Marshall, P., Mulville, J., Smith, H., Chenery, C., Collins, M., Cook, G., Craig, G., Evans, J., Hiller, J., Montgomery, J., Schwenninger, J.-L., Taylor, G. and Wess, T. (2005) Evidence for mummification in Bronze Age Britain. Antiquity 79 (305), 529–546.

Pokines, J. T., & Baker, J. E. (2021). Effects of burial environment on osseous remains. In Manual of

forensic taphonomy (pp. 103-162). CRC Press.

Pokines, J. T., L'Abbe, E. N., & Symes, S. A. (Eds.). (2021). Manual of forensic taphonomy. CRC press.

The chemistry of the bog bodies. (n.d.). National Museum of Denmark. Retrieved April 19, 2025.

Thiébaut, C., Coumont, M. P., & Averbouh, A. (2010). The taphonomic approach: an archaeological

necessity. In Mise en commun des approaches en taphonomie. Actes du workshop nº 16-XVe Congress International de (pp. 21-28).

Turner‐Walker, G., Nielsen‐Marsh, C.M., Syversen, U., Kars, H. and Collins, M.J. (2002) Sub‐micron spongiform porosity is the major ultra‐structural alteration occurring in archaeological bone. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 12 (6), 407–414.

Content Warning: This podcast discusses human skeletal remains and may be distressing to some listeners. Listener discretion advised.